Five myths about Government's Emergency Alert debunked by top fact-checkers

dailyrecord.co.uk:

It was announced last month that in order to trial a new emergency notification system, all UK mobile phones would receive a practice alert that mimics the real thing at 3pm on Sunday, April 23.

The new test aims to alert people of dangers such as flooding, fires or extreme weather, and will provide information on how to keep yourself and your family safe.The alert will last around 10 seconds, with a siren sounding and your phone buzzing at the same time, and it's possible that the information in the notice may also be read aloud.

Since this was announced, people have had differing opinions on how useful the new alert system will be, with concerns about factors like personal data and safety being a common worry.There's also been a great deal of false information spread about the alert, so to put people's minds at ease, fact-checkers have debunked some myths about what the alert is and what it will do, Wales Online reports.Pippa Allen-Kinross, News and Online Editor at Full Fact, said, “We have seen multiple instances in which bad information about the emergency alert has already been shared thousands of times online.

Be careful what you share on social media. Misinformation about this alert may lead to unnecessary alarm, and in some instances, may even cause people to opt out of future alerts (as many online have claimed they already have) based on incorrect information." 1.